Impress your guests with this roasted lemon rosemary chicken thighs with potatoes. This dish requires minimal effort, yet the results are truly divine. The chicken is roasted until tender and juicy with hearty potatoes and a beautifully bright lemon rosemary sauce that makes this dish sing with flavor!
This lemon rosemary chicken is one of my favorite chicken recipes on the blog! The chicken thighs are roasted until tender and juicy, along with hearty potatoes, and both are cooked in a luscious lemon & rosemary sauce that sets this dish apart from so many other chicken recipes that I’ve had!
The best part is that this is such an easy dinner to prepare, yet the taste and presentation are so elevated. I have made this dish for many years, and it truly is loved by my family and relatives. Whether it’s for a simpler Sunday dinner or a weeknight meal for just Drew and me, it never disappoints.
Key Ingredients
The ingredients for this dish are simple, and each one is intentionally used to layer as much flavor as possible into the chicken. Find the ingredient list below!
Use the recipe card below for the complete ingredient list and exact measurements.
Chicken thighs – boneless + skinless chicken thighs are my preferred cut to use in this dish. They are super tender and moist when roasted and easily absorb the sauce flavors.
Potatoes – it’s best to use a small potato for this recipe so it cooks faster. I like baby or fingerling potatoes! You can also cut larger yellow potatoes into smaller pieces too.
Lemon – the juice and the zest are used to add brightness to the sauce.
Rosemary – to add herbaceous flavor to the sauce. You can use dried or fresh rosemary, although I think fresh rosemary adds a brighter flavor!
Chicken broth – I prefer to use broth as the base for the lemon sauce. You can also swap this for white cooking wine.
Olive oil – adds richness to the sauce and helps brown the chicken and potatoes.
Honey – or maple syrup can be used to sweeten the sauce and help balance the acidic lemon juice.
Garlic – adds depth of flavor to the lemon sauce!
Recipe Highlights
Once you try this lemon rosemary chicken, you’ll find that it is…
BRIGHT & LEMONY. The brightness of the sauce is what sets this recipe apart. The sauce sings with fresh flavor From using fresh lemon zest and lemon juice!
LIGHT BUT COMFORTING. One of the reasons I make this recipe often is because it’s lighter and fresh, while also being a really comforting dish. It warms the soul while also nourishing the body!
PERFECT FOR HOSTING. This dish is ideal for hosting a dinner party because it’s no fuss. You can have a beautiful, elegant meal on the table without being tied to the kitchen with tons of work. Serve it with a few simple side dishes, and the meal is set!
How to Make Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken – Step-by-Step
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1
Mix the lemon sauce ingredients. In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk all of the lemon sauce ingredients together then set aside.
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2
Prep the potatoes. Slice or quarter the baby potatoes (the smaller they’re cut the better to ensure they fully cook in the oven).
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3
Season, then brown the chicken thighs. Season the chicken thighs with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper, then brown in a heated pan with 2 Tablespoons of oil for 2-3 minutes on each side.
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4
Roast all the ingredients. Add the cooked chicken to a roasting pan along with the potatoes and the lemon sauce. You can add optional lemon slices to roast with the chicken too. Then bake at 425F for 30-35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are cooked (test with a fork). Serve the chicken and potatoes with lots of the lemony sauce over top!
Recipe Variations
Add different herbs – instead of rosemary, you can also use fresh thyme, lemon thyme, or fresh sage!
Add a splash of wine for more flavor – the original recipe of this for years has always been chicken broth to keep things really simple. However, over the years I’ve tested this dish with a splash of dry white wine in the sauce (either Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc) and it added a beautiful flavor to the sauce. This is completely optional!
Instead of chicken thighs – you can swap them for chicken breast, cutlets, or even drumsticks.
Tips for Success
Browning the chicken is optional. I have made this dish often, both with and without browning the chicken. Browning the chicken gives a better texture and skin, but if you want to save time, you can skip it and bake it slightly longer in the oven. Both methods work and yield delicious results!
Make sure the potatoes are small enough. The last thing you want is the chicken to be done and raw potatoes in the pan that need more time. If using baby potatoes or fingerlings, I still like to slice them in half or even quarter, depending on their size. If you want to use russet or yellow potatoes, cut them into small cubes to ensure they cook through. It’s better to air on the side of caution by cutting the potatoes smaller.
The best pans to use—Over the years, I have made this recipe many times in cast iron skillets and found that they radiated too much heat, and the sauce was absorbed by the time the recipe finished baking. So, I no longer recommend cast iron pans but would recommend using stainless or glass baking dishes instead. If you use a cast iron pan, I recommend doubling the sauce.
If you like more sauce – many readers have shared that they love the sauce in this recipe and have doubled it when they make the recipe. So, if you’d prefer a lot of sauce, you can double the lemon sauce ingredients to have extra.
What to Serve with It
This lemon chicken is delicious all by itself! But to complete the meal, we love to serve it with…
Rice/grains. Because of the vibrant lemon sauce, this chicken sings when paired with rice or your preferred grain. The rice soaks up the sauce and is an excellent pairing with the juicy chicken.
Roasted vegetables. On the side, we always love to serve this with a roasted vegetable such as a medley of seasonal vegetables, roasted asparagus, broccolini, or butternut squash.
Salad. We always pair this with a salad that is seasonal! We love it with our pear and gorgonzola salad, our Greek chickpea salad, or this Tuscan artichoke salad.
More Chicken Recipes to Try
If you loved this chicken recipe, you might enjoy our honey dijon grilled chicken thighs, 15-minute lemon chicken piccata, or my mom’s chicken cacciatore!
Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 boneless-skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups baby potatoes,
- 1 healthy pinch of salt and pepper
Lemon Sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 healthy pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Mix lemon sauce ingredients: In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the chicken broth, lemon juice & zest, honey, dijon mustard, garlic, chopped rosemary, salt & black pepper. Then set the sauce aside for later.
- Prep potatoes: Wash the potatoes and cut them in half if they're on the small side or quarter them if they're a little larger.
- Brown chicken: Season the chicken thighs on both sides with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Then heat a pan over medium heat, add 2 Tablespoons of oil, and brown the chicken on both sides (2-3 minutes per side).
- Add potatoes and lemon sauce: Transfer the browned chicken to a roasting pan (I recommend stainless steel or glass), along with the quartered potatoes and the lemon sauce poured over top of the chicken and potatoes. Add some optional lemon slices over top if you like.
- Bake: Then bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, uncovered. The chicken should be cooked through (165F is the proper internal temperature) and the potatoes should be cooked (you can test them with a fork). Serve the chicken and potatoes with a spoonful of the delicious lemony sauce from the bottom of the pan. Enjoy!
Video
Do you know if this could be cooked in an instapot? How long would you cook for after browning chicken?
I’ve never cooked it in an instant pot, I personally am not familiar with them but you could try!
I use this recipe more than any other! It is fantastic as is but I use shrimp and scallops. Husband literally begs for it. I make chicken rice a roni as a side and add a can of cream of chicken, butter, half and half, 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder, and lemon juice and zest. I bake rice at 350 for 30 minutes covered in foil, and an additional 15 uncovered. Don’t be shy with butter, lemon juice and zest. Add enough half and half to make it creamy. Super dreamy!
Such a compliment, thank you so much Cindy! And love that you are able to add different proteins and ingredients 🙂
Delicious! Simple and quick to make.
Thank you, Lyssa! So happy to hear it:)
Husband asked me to make it again.
Always the best compliment! Thanks so much for sharing, Jean 🙂
This is the absolute best chicken recipe, hands down. I have added this to our regular recipe rotation and made it about 5-6 times now. Every time, it comes out perfectly. Thank you for this recipe!
Thank you so much, Rachel! You’re so welcome. Love to hear how many times you’ve made it! Such a compliment 🙂
Yummy
I added a Tbsp of butter instead of olive oil for dipping shrimp and scallops halved broth so it was clingier. This is a fantastic recipe! Between ravenous bites my husband said it’s keeper. 100% agreed!
Easy and delicious!
So happy to hear it! Thank you, Kyra!
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this dish!! So simple & easy!! I used skinless chicken breasts and it was wonderful. This sauce would be really good mixed with pasta and some shrimp, yummmmm!!
Stacey, thank you SO much. I am thrilled you and your family loved this recipe so much. Thank you for sharing such kind words 🙂
This was amazing. Served it with a side of roasted broccoli. It was so easy and so delicious.
This dish was delish! And easy to make. I had most of the ingredients on hand I will definitely be making this again … and again. Highly recommend.
I made this the other night and it was a knock out, making it again tonight! Easy recipe to follow
woop woop! Thank you, Melanie. I’m really happy to hear it was so well received 🙂